1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer operations, in particular, to interactive computer gaming, and most particularly, to a massively multiplayer online computer based role-playing game.
2. Background of the Art
A computer-based role playing game (cRPG) may be characterized by creation of an artificial model, such as a simulated society, which is constituted of a set of roles and rules to be performed by human users, alone or in conjunction with a computer. The latter model often is called a computer role playing game (cRPG), which have been in existence since the early days of timeshare computing and, certainly, before the advent of window-oriented graphical user interface environments. In a typical RPG, each (physical) RPG user manipulates at least one (virtual) player to enact behaviors in a simulated society in accordance with a set of behavioral rules and consequences with a goal of reaching a prescribed end. Two or more RPG users can enact distinct actions, responses, and counter-responses to match wits in achieving an end of the RPG. RPG players may be hostile, cooperative, or collaborative relative to each other, and player transactions may be parallel or interactive in nature.
In general, a cRPG can be seen as an object including plural entities such as, without limitation, players, functional operatives, scenes-a-faire, habitats, habitations, habiliments, armamentaria, flora, fauna, and environments. These entities may respond to each other with behavior patterns, typically corresponding to the provided roles and rules of the cRPG, along with an allowed range or type of player behaviors, which may be scripted, spontaneous or both. cRPG players can be a human user or a “bot,” that is an executing agent of the computer employing, for example, artificial intelligence or a programmed finite state machine.
Frequently, entities such as players, habitats, habitations, habiliments, armamentaria, flora, fauna, and environments may be selected from preset formats. Some cRPGs permit limited modifications to selected entities, rules, roles, behaviors, and preset formats.
However, cRPGs generally are not configured to allow a cRPG user to modify players, functional operatives, scenes-a-faire, habitats, habitations, habiliments, armamentaria, flora, fauna, environments, geospatial configurations (e.g., terrain, topography), temporospatial relationships, ambient weather conditions, rules, roles, formats, and corresponding behaviors and reactions of players to such modifications. In addition, cRPGs typically do not provide a mechanism by which players adapt their behavior and intermediate goals realistically, responsive to a modification, or a mechanism by which spontaneous character or environmental behavior may change.